Smart meters, good, bad or ugly?

My mate uses a couple of garden water butts to top up his ponds as required, adds it in at the remote pump/filter unit for some reason, not that we happen many dry summers here for it to be a major problem
 
mj4456 said:
My mate uses a couple of garden water butts to top up his ponds as required, adds it in at the remote pump/filter unit for some reason, not that we happen many dry summers here for it to be a major problem
Click to expand...
Evaporation far outweighs the rain fall here.
 
I've had a water meter for years and the savings were significant straight away, As I turned my garden from mostly grass to beds and boarders I have 3 large water butts that if used sparingly can last nearly a month in the driest of weather's so I very rarely have to use mains water plus I never water the grass.
 
foggy4ever said:
I've had a water meter for years and the savings were significant straight away,
Click to expand...
As above my tariff was cut from just under £600 / annum to £396 / annum when I went on meter (£33 / month)
during which time I have had some significant refunds. I'm down to £18/ month this year due to being in credit over last year.
This is one "meter" I would highly recommend looking into, for those that haven't already.



foggy4ever said:
plus I never water the grass.
Click to expand...
I (liquid) feed and weed a couple of times a year via the hose,
and will water if its starts to really dry out.
 
We reduced our water charges from £80 a month to £30 a month after switching to a meter 3 years ago. I wish I had done it sooner.

We never water the grass but I use the hose when car washing.....
 
Cobra said:
Either the hose or pressure washer here.
Click to expand...
I meant to include the pressure washer too.....my wife uses the hose to water her flower beds too. Our water company had a calculator on their website that allowed me to estimate water consumption, based upon occupancy, no. toilets, baths/showers, hose use etc.
 
As a single person living in a semi-bungalow, water meters are FANTASTIC
 
On the odd (very) occasions we’ve had water restrictions -hose pipe ban- here I’ve washed the dishes in a basin and the water is then thrown over the grass or plants, not a lot of water but every little helps.
 
mj4456 said:
I’ve washed the dishes in a basin and the water is then thrown over the grass or plants,
Click to expand...
Soapy water p***es off worms, and they surface.
I've used that trick in the past, when needing bait for fishing :D
 
Cobra said:
I (liquid) feed and weed a couple of times a year via the hose,
and will water if its starts to really dry out.
Click to expand...
Richard Jacksons lawn feed with a watering can, although my border collie kills the grass quicker than I can grow it as I'm sure she pees Alien blood.
 
foggy4ever said:
although my border collie kills the grass quicker than I can grow it as I'm sure she pees Alien blood.
Click to expand...
:LOL:
Thankfully no dogs here anymore, although my son's (Bitches) like to chew my plants ( buggers!) when they visit.
 
Cobra said:
:LOL:
Thankfully no dogs here anymore, although my son's (Bitches) like to chew my plants ( buggers!) when they visit.
Click to expand...
A very good example of why the correct use of apostrophes is important :D
 
mj4456 said:
On the odd (very) occasions we’ve had water restrictions -hose pipe ban- here I’ve washed the dishes in a basin and the water is then thrown over the grass or plants, not a lot of water but every little helps.
Click to expand...


Careful with that. Some modern detergents don't do soil bacteria much good so can be pretty detrimental.
 
foggy4ever said:
Richard Jacksons lawn feed with a watering can, although my border collie kills the grass quicker than I can grow it as I'm sure she pees Alien blood.
Click to expand...


Chuck a bucket of water over the spot as soon as possible after she's peed - it's the fact that a squatting bitch deposits all the highly concentrated fertiliser in a small patch that causes the problem so diluting it before it burns the lawn is the key.
 
Nod said:
Chuck a bucket of water over the spot as soon as possible after she's peed - it's the fact that a squatting bitch deposits all the highly concentrated fertiliser in a small patch that causes the problem so diluting it before it burns the lawn is the key.
Click to expand...
I tried having a watering can handy but through the summer our rear bifold doors are always open and it's impossible to catch her every time plus it was using a lot of water I save for the plants.
 
I used to add a couple of drops of malt vinegar to the dogs water dish, this seemed to help stop ‘yellow grass’ much cheaper and easier to get than other propriety additives.
 
Last edited:
Well that was a bit of a turn up for the books, I've just heard, an acquaintance had both meters fitted, because they had had an op,
and couldn't safely access either meter.

They have both caused nothing but issues, non functioning / wrong data sent.
The person now wants them removed as accessibility is no longer an issue.

It seems it can be done, at a cost of £250 per meter !
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
The LFB page is here: https://www.london-fire.gov.uk/safety/the-home/bedtime-checks/

If they mean what they say, they should publish the names of every manufacturer of a device that has caused a fire. That shouldn't be hard to do as they say that...

...hence, given that there are roughly 25 million homes in England, there is less than a 0.01% chance of being affected. :thinking:
Click to expand...
The difficulty may be where the owner is culpable in causing the fire - e.g. overloaded socket, frayed wire etc. I can understand a manufacturer objecting to their goods being classed as causing a fire when they are not at fault.
 
When I did the online calculator it said a water meter would cost more, 2 adults 2 children, bath and shower, patio to jet wash 2 cars that get washed a few times a month. Big back garden to water in summer.
 
robj20 said:
When I did the online calculator it said a water meter would cost more, 2 adults 2 children, bath and shower, patio to jet wash 2 cars that get washed a few times a month. Big back garden to water in summer.
Click to expand...
That's unusual, you are the only person that I have heard of that would be worse off.
 
Cobra said:
That's unusual, you are the only person that I have heard of that would be worse off.
Click to expand...
Says I'd pay £70+ a more a year on a meter. I think a meter only makes sense for us when the kids grow up and I stop being interested in cleaning the cars every week, wife loves baths, we have a power shower.
 
There may be a small chance of safety risk running appliances overnight during off-peak, but at the same time, we let our fridge go 24/7..... it all depend on the state of your appliances.
I've been on Economy 7 ever since I got solar PV in 2015. Running dishwasher, washing machine, charging EV and anything I can shift to cheap period.

The meter cupboard was a bit crowded due to having solar PV, EV charger and later installed external domestic plugs with dedicated fuse box (for second EV to slow charge). So the website kept telling me not able to install. Finally someone called up and I was able to confirm no-fee if they decide too difficult to install. Lucky that the electrician they sent out were in a good mood, happy to un-assemble stuff to get to the meter.


I'm super happy with the smart meter. The display updates more frequently than my DIY OpenEnergyMonitor. More importantly, it allowed me to sign up for much cheaper tariff:
From: off-peak 7 hr 13p, other times 23p
To: off-peak 4 hr 5.6p, other times 24p
Apart from 0.1 kWh used for the morning kettle, everything else is not time dependent and can happen within that much cheaper period. 1p/mile EV driving and cheaper washes. Overall average cost of leccy is currently at around 14p/kWh since I signed up.

I got the smart meter late last year. I was gutted to not able to switch to Octopus after confirming the meter was operating correctly. There is a lot of exiting things being done by Octopus. I was tracking Octopus Agile tariff since 2018, using OpenEnergyMonitor to match against my usage., Up to Q3 of last year, I was averaging below 10p/kWh thanks to their occasional negative pricing. On windy days, you can get paid to use electricity, but only with the right time-of-use tariff and a smart meter.
 
IMG-20220226-WA0001.jpg
 
The whole smart meter thing is reminscent of Ghandi's alleged reply, when asked what he thought of western civilisation: "I think it would be a good idea".

A working reliable smart meter system would also be a good idea.
 
I'm also refusing to have a smart meter fitted. Every middle part of the month, I email British Gas both my electric and gas meter readings and then pay the bill via visa card,. Have been doing it this way for 15 years where they don't get a penny more or less out of me.

But I suspect this will be everybody before this year is out . . .

Shock Bill 2.jpg
 
Last edited:
Ian D J said:
I'm also refusing to have a smart meter fitted. Every middle part of the month, I email British Gas both my electric and gas meter readings and then pay the bill via visa card,. Have been doing it this way for 15 years where they don't get a penny more or less out of me.

But I suspect this will be everybody before this year is out . . .

View attachment 348923
Click to expand...
You can pay that way with a smart meter as well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top